With a Novel Parasitic Power Scheme, New Single-Wire Family Requires Just One Data and One Ground Pin Eliminating the Need for Power Source/Vcc and Features Plug-and-Play 64-bit Serial Number for Identification

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 10, 2015 — (PRNewswire) — Atmel® Corporation (NASDAQ:
ATML), a global leader in microcontroller (MCU) and touch solutions, today launched the industry's most innovative Single-Wire EEPROM with only two-pins—a data pin and ground pin for operation—making the new family ideal for the Internet of Things (IoT), wearables, consumable, battery and cable identification markets. The new devices are self-powered, eliminating the need for a power source or Vcc pin, with a parasitic power scheme over the data pin. These devices provide best-in-class ultra-low power standby of 700nA, 200uA for write current, and 80uA for read current at 25 degrees Celsius—delivering just one-third of the power of leading competitors.

With confined spacing in smaller IoT, wearables, battery and cable identification applications, Atmel's AT21CS01/11 devices eliminate the need for external capacitors and rectifiers with its parasitic power scheme over a single data pin. Additionally, the new devices have an ultra-high write endurance capability to allow more than one million cycles for each memory location to meet the requirements for today's high-write endurance applications.

The AT21CS01/11 products include a simple product identification with a plug-and-play 64-bit unique serial number in every device, making the device ideal for smart, connected devices in today's IoT world including wearables such as smart fitness bands and healthcare devices. The devices also deliver industry-leading electrostatic discharge (ESD) rating (IEC 61000-4-2 Level 4 ESD Compliant), so applications such as cables, consumables, etc. can tolerate exposure to the outside environment or direct human contact while still delivering flawless performance.

"With Atmel's legacy rooted in memory, we are excited to bring a new generation of innovative 'true 2-pin' serial EEPROMs that are parasitically powered," said Padam Singh, Director of Marketing, Memory Products, Atmel. "Our new Single-Wire EEPROM family makes it very convenient to add serial EEPROM using just one-pin from the MCU/MPU without the need to route the Vcc to the device, delivering significant board space savings while simplifying the layout. In addition, the plug-and-play 64-bit serial number is the easiest way to add identification to various accessories and consumables. We look forward to proliferating these products to next-generation applications and delivering more value-added solutions and industry-firsts."

The new devices follow the I2C protocol, allowing for an easy migration from existing EEPROM with less overhead and capability to connect up to eight devices on the same bus. The AT21CS01 devices offer a security register with a 64-bit factory programmed serial number and an extra 16-bytes of user programmable and permanently lockable storage, delivering a guaranteed unique serial number for inventory tracking, asset tagging and can permanently protect the data if needed.

There are two variants of the device available to support different voltage requirements. Atmel's AT21CS01 is targeted for low-voltage applications operating at 1.7V- 3.6V. For applications that require higher voltage ranges such as Li-Ion/polymer batteries, the AT21CS11 will support 2.7V- 4.5V operating range and is the ideal product to meet IEEE1725 specifications for electronic identification of battery packs.

Availability and Pricing The Atmel AT21CS01 devices are available now in production quantities in 3-lead SOT23, 8-lead SOIC and 4-ball WLCSP. Pricing starts at USD $0.32 in 5,000-piece quantities. The AT21CS11 will be available in Q4, 2015.

Atmel Corporation (NASDAQ:
ATML) is a worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of microcontrollers, capacitive touch solutions, advanced logic, mixed-signal, nonvolatile memory and radio frequency (RF) components. Leveraging one of the industry's broadest intellectual property (IP) technology portfolios, Atmel is able to provide the electronics industry with intelligent and connected solutions focused on the industrial, consumer, communications, computing and automotive markets.